For years, a holiday in the Dominican Republic entailed staying at a walled-in, cookie-cutter resort. But not anymore.
Beyond the touristy town of Punta Cana in the southeast, the country becomes a
vast natural landscape of vibrant greens and blues, unmarred by large-scale
tourism or commercial hotels. That is the area where, recently, several
expatriates have opened smaller boutique hotels that provide what the larger
resorts do not: a personal touch, local flavour and key emphasis on the
environment.

“You have to love nature to come here; for me, that’s what this
country is about,” said Italian expat and now resident Sarah Paradiso. Coincidentally, even
her surname (which means “paradise” in Italian) reflects the lifestyle she
adopted in 2001 by coming to the fishing village of Las Galeras on the east
coast of the Samaná Península. Originally from Milan, she and her husband
bought a plot of land near La Playita beach and in 2006 built Chalet Tropical:
three two-storey
thatched-roof bungalows, handcrafted by locals with wood interiors and stone
bathrooms. Set back from the village centre, Chalet Tropical’s surroundings are
green and wild, with a dirt track leading to the beach. “I would never consider
going back,” Paradiso said. “I am living my dream.”

About 4km to the east, just outside of Las Galeras, I ventured
off the tarmac roads and walked along a dirt track, passing both roaming horses
and scooters carrying entire families. Perched atop craggy cliffs over the deep
blue waters of Rincon Bay, I arrived at what looked like a manmade stone wall surrounding
a cluster of huts. Catrin Krueger and John Matthijssen – from Germany and the
Netherlands, respectively – opened El Cabito lodge in 2008, staying true to the idea of sustainability
and local culture. Area artisans created the handmade furniture; the restaurant
serves local food such as grilled fish and banana chips; and – in addition to a natural wastewater treatment process and four solar
rooftop panels – the
owners collect rainwater for the bathroom
tank. By the beginning of 2015, Krueger said, El Cabito should run entirely on
solar energy.

With two bungalows and a tree house, El Cabito is a rustic
affair with shared bathrooms, mattresses on the floor, an open pavilion with
hammocks, and a campsite. Lack of luxury aside, the views from its restaurant are
more than worth the sweaty walk; brave visitors can even jump the 14m into the
cool, transparent waters below. (The eco-lodge can be reached with a 4x4 or a
motorbike, or the owners can arrange a transfer. Due to the poor state of the
roads, driving a conventional car is not recommended).

West of the Samaná Peninsula, about 200km from El Cabito, I stopped
at Natura
Cabana, an isolated beachside
boutique hotel outside the lively surf town of Cabarete. Originally built as a
home in 1996 by Chilean migrants Soledad Sumar and Pablo Garimani, the
bungalows evolved into a lodge almost by accident. “My parents’ guests just
never wanted to leave,” said Soleded “Lole” Sumar, one of Sumar and Garimani’s
four daughters who today run Natura Cabana. “So eventually we made it bigger
for them to stay or come back to, and then it slowly became our 10-bungalow
hotel.” The stylish rooms are made of highly polished wood and exposed rock, all
adorned with bright bedspreads of Indian silks and cottons, and there’s the
added bonus of yoga classes every morning and evening, included in the cost of
the room.

Casa Maravilla, located next door, is owned by Belgian
immigrant Marc Bautil and his wife Elvira, who was born in the Philippines and
grew up in the US. The highlight of Maravilla is the beautiful multi-storey
wooden bohio (a shack made of straw
or wood, whose main living area has open sides and a view of the beach), providing
a real Robinson Crusoe feel. At night, guests fall asleep to the sound of the
ocean waves. “We wanted to provide a different experience that was closer to
nature,” Marc said.

My next stop was a small hotel in the small village of Tubagua,
located about 33km west of Cabarete. Flanked by green, leafy hills and
overlooking sugarcane fields toward the turquoise Atlantic, the Tubagua
Plantation Eco-Lodge
has spectacular views. It also had a charm – and a roster of delicious,
home-cooked local food – that made me want to stay for another year, if not a
lifetime. Owned by former Canadian journalist and Puerto
Plata province’s current
Canadian consul Tim Hall, the accommodation features rustic bungalows and one
private cottage. Each bungalow room has its own open balcony and a mosquito net.
The doors don’t lock (or even close properly), speaking to the safe, familial
atmosphere of the bungalow and its openness to the natural world just outside.

Even with the recent boom of small, sustainability-minded hotels,
many owners said that most visitors to the Dominican Republic continue to
assume that the big resorts are the island’s only accommodation choice. Yet, according
to Hall, these “impersonal” structures don’t represent the reality of Dominican.
“The reality is so much better than that,” he said. After experiencing some of
the country’s most beautiful views, delectable food and the local culture’s
warmth, I had to agree.